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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22843747">Smiling Into Darkness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishWitch/pseuds/WishWitch'>WishWitch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Smile For Me (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, Found Family, I hope u like the title, I promise, I'll add more tags as the story progresses, Other, Pabbit is in this, Putunia is Parsley's daughter, and then we did it, hey! what if there was a magical girl au???, this happened when me and a friend went</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:21:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22843747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishWitch/pseuds/WishWitch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Long ago, a team of powerful warriors fought to protect the realm from mysterious forces with the power of magical charms, pieces of a once powerful plant that was broken apart to keep others from misusing its power. </p>
<p>The team was powerful and connected with love and friendship, but something went wrong. </p>
<p>The team fell apart in a horrible accident resulting in one of their own falling to the side of darkness, they were then forced into hiding with the powerful charms after one last attempt to destroy the evil force. It was many years before the darkness awoke once more, and the once hero Kamal is now tasked with finding new heroes to save the world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Flower Kid &amp; Dr. Boris Habit, Flower Kid &amp; Putunia Mollar, Kamal Bora &amp; Flower Kid, Parsley Botch &amp; Putunia Mollar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello there internet people!!!</p>
<p>This story is a very big collaboration project with a friend of mine on the Smile for Me amino! Most of the ideas you'll see in this story came from them, I'm just the one who is writing it all out, so a big shout out to suffer on the Smile For Me amino!!!!! </p>
<p>Most of the details of this story are hashed out, aside from a few major plot points, so I'm mostly just building as I go along, I definitely hope to continue this story, but for right now the most I can do is a prologue, which I hope you enjoy!</p>
<p>This is also my very first work, ever really, aside from stuff I write for English class, so sorry if a few things seem rushed or vague or whatever, but if you do see something you think I could fix/work on, please let me know, I am always happy to receive constructive criticism (as long as it is criticism and not overly aggressive for no reason).</p>
<p>so yeah, I hope you enjoy this short prologue, and I very much hope to bring you more in the future!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Long ago, a team of powerful warriors fought to protect the realm from mysterious forces with the power of magical charms, pieces of a once powerful plant that was broken apart to keep others from misusing its power. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The team was powerful and connected with love and friendship, but something went wrong. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The team fell apart in a horrible accident resulting in one of their own falling to the side of darkness, they were then forced into hiding with the powerful shards after one last attempt to destroy the evil force. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was many years before the darkness awoke once more, and the once hero Kamal is tasked with finding new heroes to save the world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>______________________________________________________________________</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>3:45 AM- Victorville, California </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A young man, barely out of his teen years shoots up from where he had been lying down, his wild hair is matted against his forehead, and each breath tears ragedly from his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He is dazed and confused, but as the light returns to his eyes, he suddenly springs up, leaping out of bed and sprinting towards his closet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opens the door with a bang, his dark eyes squinting against the light, from within his closet, a small shoe box is glowing with an ethereal, blooming, light. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a shuddered gasp, he sinks to the floor, the weight of what he must do already pressing into his shoulders, he never wanted this, </span>
  <em>
    <span>none </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them ever wanted this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he dissolves into half muttered sobs, the box continues to glow, it’s call beckoning and inviting the next people to be led to ruin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With one last large gasp, Kamal stood up, walked to bed, and collapsed,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He needed the sleep, after all, training new heroes isn’t exactly a walk in the park.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so he fell once more into a reckless sleep, flashes of what was to come, dancing beneath his eyelids. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Smashing Introduction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's the first official chapter! I know it's a little short, but I promise that they'll get longer as this story progresses, I'm just trying to figure things out right now.</p><p>I hope you enjoy this one, and if you have any tips, critisism, or questions, please let me know!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>8:25 AM- Puesta Del Sol Elementary</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“But DAAAAAAAAD!!! Why can’t I take my boxing glove to school?”</p><p> </p><p>Parsley let out a weary sigh, “Putunia, we’ve been over this, <em> most </em> children your age find things like boxing gloves to be very intimidating, and, you know, <em> weird.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“But those people are laaaaaaaaame” Putunia pouted.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey now, we’ve talked about calling people lame before, remember what I said?” Parsley shifted from where he was kneeling on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“.........mmm….Mmm…..” </p><p> </p><p>“What was that?”</p><p> </p><p>“.........that only real lamoes call people lame……”</p><p> </p><p>Parsley beamed, “that’s right! So don’t forget that ok?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ok” Putunia grumbled.</p><p> </p><p>With a large breath, Parsley levered himself up, “alright, I’ve got to go now, have a fun day at school, ok kiddo?” he aimed a soft smile at the top of Putunia’s head.</p><p> </p><p>Putunia smiled gently at the ground, to ensure that Parsley couldn’t see it, “ok I guess, it’s still gonna be totally lame tho-” </p><p> </p><p>Parsley leveled her with a flat stare</p><p> </p><p>“I mean yay!! School!!!” she beamed “my favorite prison in the whole wide world!!”</p><p> </p><p>A small chuckle, “alright, I’ll be here around 3:30 ok? See you then!” and so with a minute shake of the head, Parsley was off, leaving his daughter standing in front of a few spare lockers.</p><p> </p><p>Putunia gazed down at the schedule in her hands, and had just started to walk to her first class when she noticed a young kid, around her age, walking quietly on her left. They seemed nice and Putunia was just about to say hi when suddenly, some teen, who was definitely way older than both Putunia and the nice looking kid, shoved past, nearly knocking the other kid over. </p><p> </p><p>“Watch out loser!” the tall child spit out, “if you can’t talk, the least you can do is watch where you’re going!”</p><p> </p><p>Filled with a sense of justice she was unaware she had, Putunia turned to the tall child with a scowl on her fac, “hey! You’re the one who bumped into <em> them, </em> if anything, <em> you </em> should watch where <em> you’re </em>going!”</p><p> </p><p>The tall kid, who probably had a stupid name like, Bradley or something even stupider, stopped where they were, turning and leaning down, right in front of Putunia’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you say to me?”</p><p> </p><p>And so, as she did with most things, Putunia had barely even thought it through, before she was clocking the stupid named kid in the face.</p><p> </p><p>He stumbled back in shock, and in her peripherals, Putunia could see the bulging eyes of the quiet kid from a few seconds ago.</p><p> </p><p>She probably shouldn’t have done that, but there was no point in regretting things that already happened, and so with nothing else to do, she turned to the quiet kid and stuck out her hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi! My name’s Putunia! What’s yours?”</p><p> </p><p>The quiet kid stared at the hand for a second, before grasping it hesitantly, and drawing a small card out of their bag, it kinda looked like a business card. </p><p> </p><p>Putunia took the proffered card, reading it quickly, it said, </p><p> </p><p>“<b>Hi there! Most people call me Flower Kid, but you can call me FK, flower, kid, weirdo, whatever you like! Unfortunately, I don’t talk very often, but I promise I’m not being rude, either way I’m sure it’s nice to meet you!”</b></p><p> </p><p>Putunia was just about to respond when a teacher appeared out of nowhere, and immediately sent Putunia and Flower Kid to the principal's office, the stupid kids nose was bleeding, and Putunia found that she didn’t feel very sorry. </p><p> </p><p>Either way, her dad was <em> not </em>going to be happy about this. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Pure Happenstance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yet another chapter knocked out of the park! This one ended up a little bit longer (as promised) and I hope you like it, I spent a really long time thinking of the chapter title, and I still don't really like it but I tried my best, onto the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>8:40 AM- Puesta Del Sol Elementary </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The office smelled like coffee.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That was the first thing Putunia noticed about the counselor’s office, the second thing she noticed was the fact that the counselor himself looked like he was about to fall over.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes were sunken in, and the circles underneath his eyes were so pronounced, they seemed  likely to develop sentience any minute now, and tell their owner to go to sleep themselves. The nameplate on his desk read, “Mr. Kamal Bora”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now, Putunia was not a very observant person, most of the time, the only things on her mind would be her favorite superhero “The Masked Driver”, and, of course, her sworn enemy “The Green Menace”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, whoever this counselor was, he was so visibly exhausted that Putunia was fighting the urge to curl up on the ground and pass out herself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a small sigh, Mr. Bora sat down at his desk, having retrieved Putunia’s file.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well Putunia, you’ve been at this school about an hour, and you’ve already managed to get detention, I gotta say, I’m a little impressed.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Putunia perked up, scooting forward in her chair, “I also made a new friend!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Bora raised his eyebrow, “really? How did you manage that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok so I was walking down the hallway, heading toward my first class, and there was this really quiet kid walking next to me, and-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh you mean flower kid?” Mr. Bora smiled lightly, “well in that case I’m not surprised, they have a tendency to make friends in the strangest of places.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked, “oh I’m sorry, please continue with what you were saying.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No No No!” Putunia’s head shook rapidly, “if I’m gonna be friends with FK, I wanna know more about them!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“......well, if you’re sure, but you’re going to finish once I’m done, ok?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright well…” Mr. Bora paused, as if thinking for a moment, “they probably gave you a card earlier, am I right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Putunia smiled widely, “Yup! Wait a sec, I have it in my bag!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As she rummaged around for the small card, Putunia found herself thinking about her dad, and what he would say when he got there, it was enough to give her pause, something Mr. Bora noticed immediately. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is something wrong, Putunia?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hurriedly snapped out of her thoughts, finally managing to grab hold of the card, “No! Sorry, I’m fine…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He gazed at her for a moment, before ultimately deciding that he wasn’t going to get anything out of her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, about flower kid, in case you didn’t notice, they’re mute, which just means that they can’t talk” he let out a sigh, “unfortunately a lot of kids, like that boy you punched, Bradley-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Putunia leaped up “YES!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Bora blinked, “I’m…..sorry?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Putunia plopped down to her seat, which she had stood upon in her victory, “oh, sorry! Please continue!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckled slightly, “well, as I was saying, some students, like Bradley-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A small squeal came from Putunia.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“..........have decided to dislike flower kid, based purely on the fact that they don’t talk, and I’m just guessing here,“ he shifted slightly, “but it seems as though Bradley is the one who essentially started the fight, is this true?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Putunia puffed up, “yeah! He was being super mean to FK, he shoved them and called them stupid!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her cheeks were beginning to glow red in agitation, “he was just, so mean for no reason, and then when I called him out on it he started getting in my face, and so obviously I </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to punch him, he was asking for it! And I feel kind of bad but not really, and please don’t tell my dad he’ll be so disappointed and-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Bora was suddenly on the other side of his desk, and kneeling in front of her, “Hey! Hey, Putunia it’s ok, breathe, just </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was then that she realized how short her breaths were, and as she attempted to calm down, they stuttered and fluttered about in her chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen, Putunia,” he gave her a soft smile, “I don’t know you very well, but based on what I’ve seen today, and based on Bradley’s previous offences, I really don’t think what happened was your fault.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sniffled, “really?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His smile was warm, “really”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Now I’m not saying that the situation couldn’t have been handled differently”, as he talked he rose off the floor, and began to head back behind his desk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But you did the best you could considering, and I’ll be sure to tell your father just that”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he settled back down, Putunia felt a warmth spread throughout her body, the counselor at her old school wouldn’t have hesitated to tell her dad just how horrible his daughter was, but this guy, this Kamal Bora, was being beyond nice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It felt good to have people believe in her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was about to say as such, when there was a knock at the door, it seemed as though her dad was finally here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As she followed Mr. Bora out of his office, she felt almost optimistic, the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her dad, but Mr. Bora seemed confident enough, and so did she!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As they passed into the front office, she heard a sharp gasp coming from her right, and the folder that Mr. Bora was holding suddenly fell to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked over, but his eyes were focused on one thing, and one thing only.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her dad was standing there, equally as shocked, and the two grownups stood still until the moment that a shaky name exited the counselor's mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“..............Parsley?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Darkness Falls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If anyone is actually reading this-</p><p>I am so sorry that this took so long, I honestly don't know why it did, I guess I just really suck at writing things on time? I don't know.</p><p>But regardless, I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you have any questions are criticisms please let me know</p><p>enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They stood there for ages.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or at least that’s what it felt like, in reality it was probably only a few seconds, but as Mr. Bora and her dad stared at each other, it almost felt like time had stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her dad was the first to snap out of it, “Um, is there…anything I need to sign?” normally at this point he would be gesturing for her to go to the car, but this strange encounter seemed to have drawn all of his attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Bora jerked, as if just noticing the position they were in, he hurriedly moved towards the nearest desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Um, yes of course, this will only take a moment” he turned to Putunia, slight panic shining in his eyes, “Putunia! Why don’t you go wait outside?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her dad nodded absently, his eyes still locked on Mr. Bora’s face, there was something in his eyes, not quite shock, but more...relief?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever was going on clearly didn’t involve her, so Putunia scurried towards the door, maybe she’d bump into FK again!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she walked towards the door she felt a strange shiver go down her back, despite the warm room, and the cold feeling persisted the closer she got to the hallway. She finally slipped out the office door with a small exhale, as interesting as her dad’s personal history was, it was also just really weird. Putunia glanced about, looking for something to do while she waited, she couldn’t go in any of the classrooms, there weren’t any students wandering the halls, and the walls were baren of any posters, all in all it more than confirmed how prison-like this school was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly she noticed something, just out of the corner of her eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was some sort of shadow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not a normal shadow, however, this black spectre seemed to have a life of its own, weaving in and out of the various crevices along the walls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At first Putunia was startled, but with a jolt of exhilaration, she realized that her chance to be a true hero had finally come! Whoever or whatever that shadow was, they obviously had evil intentions, and it was up to her to stop them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a small cheer, Putunia bounded after the black ghost, careful to keep her steps light, but unable to quell the excitement welling up in her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They danced around the school, sliding in and out of various hallways as Putunia and the shadow made their way across the vast expanse of lockers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was absolutely thrilling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally the shadow came to a slow halt, right before entering yet another long and endless corridor, but as Putunia glanced around the corner, she noticed someone else lurking about, and they looked like a student. The shadow continued, creeping closer and closer to the mysterious figure, who was most likely skipping class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With bated breath Putunia waited, waited for the shadow to do it’s evil deed, waiting for the moment that she could jump in and be the hero she had always dreamed of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whoever was standing at the end of the hallway, they seemed agitated, pacing back and forth, muttering to themselves in a low voice. From under their feet the shadow circled around them, gradually growing smaller and smaller until the figure was trapped, although they didn’t know it yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, and without warning, the shadow exploded upwards, covering the person in darkness, they were so startled that they were barely able to let out a small whimper before they were completely engulfed in blackness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia stepped back in surprise, whatever she had been expecting, it certainly hadn’t been this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From within the column of darkness, a new figure began to take shape, as if the person from before had been yanked away by desperate hands, and replaced with a darker entity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The new person was different...strange in a way that was hard to describe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There seemed to be some sort of bag on their back, a bag covered in hundreds of razor sharp spikes, but as the darkness cleared, it was obvious that the spikes had somehow been attached to the person's body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Staring at the blood that covered the base of the spikes, Putunia determined that it was more likely that they had burst from the person’s back, merciless and horrifying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The spikes didn’t stop there, they covered the top of their host’s head, some of them even jutting out of the arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of the spikes were white, bone white.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The person, whoever they were, or whoever they had turned into, slowly shuffled in Putunia’s direction, their eyes were pure obsidian, and cold as the darkest night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Any bravado Putunia might have had fled the minute the blackness had burst up from the ground, and so with shaky legs, she made her retreat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, in her haste to escape, she didn’t look where she was going, and crashed face first into a nearby locker. In any other situation, she’d probably be on the floor dying of laughter at this point. But this wasn’t a normal situation, so as the monster slowly turned it’s head to look at her, she scrambled to her feet and bolted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she ran, she couldn’t hear anything, so either the monster hadn’t followed her, or it was already catching up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia decided to focus on running.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally she spotted a door that led outside, she didn’t hesitate to throw it open, but she did take a moment to close it behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she doubled over to breathe, Putunia began to really process what she had seen, though it had been dark, the figure she had spotted was undeniable, even if it was impossible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia had always believed in magic and the like, but she never thought that she would encounter something like this, not in her lifetime, not in the real world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, from behind the door she had run from, a loud bang sounded out, as if someone had rammed into it at full force.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia’s blood turned to ice, no matter how cool this situation may seem, there was no doubt in her mind that if that thing caught up to her, she could be seriously hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another bang. They were getting louder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t know what to do, she could run away sure, but that thing was clearly faster than her, besides, there was no way she would be able to get around the fence surrounding the school quick enough to really gain some ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could call her dad?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But no, he was on the other side of school, she didn’t even know where </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked kind of like a baseball field, or a park, or maybe both?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another bang. The door was getting weaker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia glanced around, back and forth, up and down, there was nothing to be done, was she really going to die here?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cold feeling that had been chasing her since the office suddenly vanished, she had barely even noticed it was there, but it was replaced by a deep and pulsating warmth, originating from her pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With steady hands she reached in and pulled out some sort of red rock, it looked like a crystal in the shape of a crown, or three leaves. Maybe a weird mini trident?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had no idea where it had come from, all she knew was that holding this crystal made her feel more safe and confident than she had in years.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The monster behind the door didn’t seem scary at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that moment, with one final bang, the monster burst through the door, sending it flying, and the spector began to shamble out, its steps uncontrolled and erotic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was terrifying, with huge gleaming teeth, jagged spikes covering it from head to toe, and its entire body was drenched in an inky darkness, it’s eyes shined with pure malice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia stared into the dark eyes, unflinching and cold, she had no idea how, and she had no idea why, but she knew that she could defeat it.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Somewhere behind the school, a bright light shined, it was the brightest, and most pure light anyone had seen in a long time.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. In Hot Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Parsley and Kamal finally have a lttle chat</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello there everyone!</p>
<p>Here's the next chapter, it took a lttle bit, and I seriously have no schedule when it comes to these things-</p>
<p>but I really hope you like it! Let me know if you have any critiques or questions!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Approximately 10 minutes and 26 seconds ago</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Putunia! Why don’t you go wait outside?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The small girl nodded slightly, eyeing both her father and her counselor hesitantly before ultimately deciding not to say anything. She left, slipping quietly out of the office door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal stared at the man in front of him for a few seconds longer before shaking his head slightly, his thoughts were going in circles, but he still had a job to do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok so um, just come on over and sign this uh, form” he picked up the piece of paper and a pen, his hands shaking slightly, “and after that I’ll tell you which days you should expect her to stay after, and-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kamal”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tensed, not having expected to be addressed by name, he turned to Parsley, his heart heavy in his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...Yes…?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley smiled gently, “It’s good to see you again”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal smiled back, all the muscles in his body seeming to relax all at once, he hadn’t been sure how Parsley would react, they hadn’t exactly parted on the best of circumstances. But then again, they had been friends, even if those days felt like a lifetime ago. Kamal found himself happy to see a familiar face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s good to see you too Pars, I thought Putunia’s last name sounded familiar.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley softened at the nickname, “Yeah, it really has been awhile huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamals smile slowly turned more hesitant, “...yeah, it really </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>has”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a few seconds of silence, Parsley turned to the papers still sitting on the desk, quickly going over and signing them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced at Kamal one more time before turning to leave, Kamal did the same, turning towards his office. Suddenly Parsley stopped, it was probably a bad idea, but he hadn’t seen his friend in years, surely the universe could make an exception. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Kamal?” he asked, turning around once more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal startled, his hair whipping around his face as he turned, “what is it? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>More sure then he had been in a long time, Parsley replied, “no no, nothing like that, I was just wondering, if you’re not busy I mean-” he gently fiddled with the buttons on his jacket, feeling unusually anxious.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you like to get some coffee? Maybe catch up for a bit?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal started, he hadn’t been expecting that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley’s skin colored, “oh what am I saying of course you’re busy, I should really get Putunia home anyways and-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Parsley”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal was smiling, his eyes shining bright for the first time in what felt like years. He gestured to his office slightly, “I have a pot in my office if you’re interested?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal’s office was fairly small, and most of his chairs, other than the one behind his desk, were child sized. So Parsley elected instead to stand and lean against the desk, cradling a steaming cup of bean juice in his hands. The two former friends weren’t quite sure how to start the conversation, even back in the day they had never stopped to simply talk like they were now, they had always been preoccupied. Parsley was the one who spoke up first.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, school counselor, that must be fun?” they both winced slightly at the awkward conversation starter, Kamal replying with a similarly stilted sentence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh um, yeah, it’s been pretty great, pretty good.” he cleared his throat, “so uh, what about you? The last time we saw each other I think you said something about being a lawyer…?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley brightened, “yeah! That’s been going really well actually” he smiled into his coffee.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh?” Kamal raised his eyebrows, taking a quick sip, “how so?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Parsley inhaled, “I’ve had my current job for about, 4, 5 years now? Something like that, Putunia has basically everything she could ask for, and I have Putunia, so it’s a win-win situation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How about Martin,” Kamal sipped once again, “are you guys still a thing?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh….” Parsley stared at the floor, “Um, no we’re not, haven’t been for about a year now.” he swallowed hard, his eyes distant, “with my job keeping me so busy, and with Putunia and everything,” he looked at Kamal, his eyes hazy, “well, we just weren’t working out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stared at each other, they seemed to be doing that a lot today. Before Kamal went to take another sip of his drink, only then realizing that it was empty.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head at his absent mindedness, Kamal stood up, “do you want anymore?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley flinched slightly, having been lost in thought, but nodded at the query, handing Kamal his nearly empty cup. Kamal went over to the small pot resting in the corner of his office, but as he went to pour the coffee, he felt something strange. It was a sort of jolt, originating in his chest and spreading out towards the rest of his body. The hand holding the coffee pot spasmed unexpectedly, and both his hands were immediately covered in the hot liquid. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal let out a shout, alerting Parsley who appeared at his side in a flash, quickly assessing the situation, and running to grab some paper towels and water.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He hissed, his hands were throbbing, but it barely registered in his mind, he had never experienced anything like that before, but he knew that somewhere, somehow, someone had activated one of the charms. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley returned quickly, in his hands were several paper towels and a water bottle, which he poured onto the towels. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, give me your hands” Parsley spoke softly, but he was clearly startled. Kamal slowly placed his hands on top of Parsley’s arm, and the man very carefully covered both hands with the wetted paper towels. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So” Parsley started, “You’re just as clumsy as you used to be huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kamal let out a weak laugh, “hehe, yeah…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Here, let’s go sit down.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as Kamal was seated, Parsley turned to go, “it was really great talking to you, but I really have to get Putunia home,” he was obviously hesitant.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You won’t dump any more coffee pots on your hands while I’m gone will you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Very funny, but no I’ll be fine, go get your daughter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he was turning to leave Parsley hesitated one more time, he stood there for a few seconds, waging a small war in his head. He finally made his decision before whipping back around and pulling out a small piece of paper, and slapped it on Kamal’s desk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This is my number, I was thinking maybe you could come over for dinner some time?” he hesitantly ran his hand across the back of his neck. “I really do want to reconnect with you, so if you want-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Kamal blurted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both blinked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I mean, um,” Kamal’s face colored slightly, “I want to reconnect also, I mean um, me too, that uh, sounds really nice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley smiled wide, “great! That’s awesome, ok so um, call me sometime this week, or I’ll call you, and we can set up that dinner thing, yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah” Kamal smiled, “yeah that sounds great.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Great!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Parsley left, for real this time, leaving behind an old and confused friend, unaware of the small child currently fighting for her life on the other side of the school. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Light of Justice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kamal has a tiny mental breakdown, and Putunia is just confused.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>New chapter! Yay!!</p><p>I would just like to say that I have no idea how to write action scenes, like literally no idea, but I tried my best and I hope it turned out at least semi-decent</p><p>I'm currently trying to get the ball rolling for my other story but that might take a while, so if you're interested in that...sorry ig</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Back to where we left off</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The large pulsating shadow let out a deafening screech, having been blinded by an angelic beam of light that had shot up into the heavens. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the light slowly faded a small girl began to take form, it was likely the same one from before, but she seemed… different somehow. Her short dark hair was now pinned to the top of her head, and her energetic eyes were covered by a small domino mask. As more of her body was revealed it became obvious that her entire outfit had changed, with her body now covered by a large red jumper that was outlined with black.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she stared down at her body in bewilderment, the shadow recovered from the momentary stun, and without any warning it threw itself at her with a loud roar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither party was able to even blink before Putunia’s arm had swung forward, newly adorned with a light purple boxing glove, and knocked the shadowy figure back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one had been expecting this, and as Putunia stumbled back with a small shout the shadow fell backwards, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. It’s elongated spikes were embedded in the cement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In any other situation Putunia would have taken the time to stop and assess what exactly had just happened, and why her outfit had changed, and where the glove came from, and how the shadow turned into a freaky hedgehog creature, and why the little crown had exploded in a GIANT BALL OF LIGHT-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes. In any other situation, these would be the thoughts plaguing young Putunia’s mind, but this was not any other situation, and she needed to get the heck out of there before she got shanked by a shadow spike.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she made her retreat, she nearly tripped over her new long flowing cape, the same light purple color as her glove. The monster, however, was busy attempting to pull itself out of the ground, and she managed to slip away unnoticed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She began to speed walk around the school, not having any clear direction to turn to, there were fences surrounding the building, and she barely knew the layout. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly she heard a loud roar, that sounded more like a scream of agony, the monster had noticed her escape, and it was not pleased. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia quickened her pace, her steps shaky and confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was as she began to come around to the front of the school that she ran into Mr. Bora, who she immediately latched onto with a sharp cry of relief. She knew in the back of her mind that the school counselor was likely no match for the shadowy demon, but for right now, all she knew was that he was an adult, and adults knew what to do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Bora was quick to hug her back, his eyes scanning over her for injuries, luckily she appeared to be unhurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From the distance large lumbering footsteps could be heard, as well as loud but interspersed growls, so low that they could be felt in the deepest parts of your chest. Kamal knew what he had to do, what Putunia would have to do, and although she would likely be extremely receptive to the idea, Kamal would be guilt ridden for years. He had known that new heroes were necessary, but why did they have to be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>young</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Granted, he had been young when he started all this, they had all been young at some point in some way, some more than others. But Putunia was so small, so spirited, full of energy and youth, and that same youth was about to be yanked away from her. It practically already had been, he was just delaying the inevitable really. So, Kamal took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do, and gently kneeled down to Putunia’s height, (oh God she’s so short-)his hands resting on her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him, tears glimmering in her large eyes, and he stared back, his mouth suddenly dry, his words gone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thuds grew louder, and closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Putunia,” he began shakily, “I know that this may seem confusing, even terrifying,” he closed his eyes, unable to meet the familiar confused expression, she seemed to have inherited it from her dad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you have the power to stop this. You can stop the monster, you can be the hero.” he swallowed harshly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can save the day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she seemed confused before, that emotion had only doubled with Kamal’s short speech, but beyond that was a glint of excitement. A glint he hoped she would continue to hold on to, no matter who or what tried to take it from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kamal continued, “I promise I’ll explain everything later, but for now-” a loud roar cut through the air, the monster was right behind them now, and it was coming fast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen Putunia, just do as I say, focus all of your energy and concentration on your glove, and as soon as that thing reaches you, hit it as hard as you can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With no time for further questions Kamal and Putunia turned towards the beast, it’s eyes were glowing bright with anger, and it was charging towards them with unprecedented speed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking Mr. Bora’s strange words to heart, Putunia began to focus as best she could. She only had a few seconds, it was already practically face to face with her. But as she sharpened her focus, the glove began to grow hot, almost burning. It didn’t hurt, far from it actually, it filled her instead with a white hot feeling of Justice, a feeling she needed to release. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The beast finally reached them, and was greeted with a glove to the face. Burning with a deadly white fire, the punch met its mark, smashing into the shadow creature, and immediately obliterating the darkness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a brilliant flash of light, almost exactly like the one from before, but this one seemed to envelop any and all darkness that was in the vicinity, and when it disappeared, so did Putunia’s strange outfit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stood there for a moment, eyes locked on the slumped figure. Whatever had been encasing the runaway student, it was gone now, having been burned away by Putunia’s attack. They heard a small groan from the victim, who began to sit up, bleary eyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kamal was quick to shove Putunia behind the building, before walking forward to confront the dazed student, making sure to move quickly. The kid raised their head, a black eye forming on their face where Putunia had punched the creature. It was that Bradley kid from earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Thistle, aren’t you supposed to be in class?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He mimed a small double take, “Oh my, you don’t look so good, come on I’ll take you to the nurse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The minute he and Bradley disappeared behind the corner, Parsley appeared, he seemed disheveled, and was obviously relieved to find his daughter safe and sound. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Putunia!” he shouted, grabbing onto her shoulders, “where on earth did you go? I’ve been looking everywhere!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putunia thought to herself for a moment, if she told her dad about what had happened he would freak out, either because he would worried that she could have been killed, or because he would be worried that his daughter was going insane. Besides, she barely understood what had happened herself, and if her dad knew that Mr. Bora had encouraged her to punch someone, she would most likely never see him again, and he would never be able to explain everything. Her mind made up, Putunia began to tell the biggest lie she had ever made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you were taking so long that I figured it wouldn’t matter if I explored my new school a little bit, I’m sorry dad, I didn’t mean to make you worry.” She smiled in an attempt to distract from her shaking hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Parsley sighed, he was getting rather used to this kind of behavior, and no matter how harmless it may have been, they were still going to have a huge talk about it later. But for now, as they headed toward the car, Parsley found himself smiling, even if Putunia’s first day had gone a little sideways, he’d been able to reconnect with one of his oldest friends, and that was worth all the detentions in the world in his opinion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Martin would probably disagree, say how violent Putunia had been, and how unhealthy it was, but Parsley knew his daughter, and he had a feeling that everything was going to turn out just fine.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok so I know it was kind of short, and I swear I'm working on that, but I really didn't know how to stretch that out any further, aside from writing more action, which is difficlut.</p><p>Poor Parsley has no idea what's coming for him, though to be fair none of them do lol</p><p>OK have an awesome day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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